SÜLZLE KLEIN, specializing in equipment for thickening, dewatering, and drying sewage sludge, has received an order from the North German specialist disposal company BioSolid. For the location in Ladbergen, SÜLZLE KLEIN will supply a Pro-Dry® E 2/11 belt dryer for processing sludge from various sewage treatment plants for thermal and material recycling. The innovative treatment process allows waste products to be converted and used sustainably, for example to generate energy.

The belt dryer from SÜLZLE KLEIN is expected to dewater more than 18,000 tonnes of sewage sludge per year, increasing the dry residue content from 22 % to at least 90 %. This treatment not only makes the sludge lighter and more compact, it can also be further processed: BioSolid uses the material for generating electricity and heat in power stations and for co-incineration in cement plants. “This concept creates a self-contained system converting an actually unwanted product into a useful and sustainable one,” said Björn Wunderlich, Managing Director of SÜLZLE KLEIN GmbH, when signing the contract.

The dryer is heated with waste heat from a nearby co-generation station, so that the sewage sludge can be dried in a carbon-neutral way. The sludge is received in an underground bin; the dried material is loaded directly into containers on site. The system operates under negative pressure and is completely encapsulated. The exhaust air is cleaned chemically and biologically according to the state of the art, and its heat is used for heating the fresh air. This ensures that as much energy as possible is used effectively and the environment is protected from harmful substances and unpleasant odors,” explained Wunderlich.

The construction of a second dryer line is planned for the future. “With its expertise in the treatment of sewage sludge, SÜLZLE KLEIN is our ideal partner for this project,” emphasized Dr. Günter Fehr and Peter Lüchtenborg, Managing Directors of Biosolid GmbH.